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Back in business
Jul. 23rd, 2004 12:02 pmChristie is still missing, and I came back to Bton yesterday so I can't help in the continued search. We've left the kitty carrier outside the front door with my slept-on pillowcases inside to try to lure her home. Jeff has found long white (presumably) kitty hair on the pillow cases, so perhaps she is coming back but is too freaked out to stay. This morning Jeff saw little kitty prints trekking across the front yard. I just hope it's not the local cat taking advantage of us.
I hate to do it, but I think I'm going to go ahead and invest the $55 in a Havaheart trap. That's a lot of money that we don't have right now, but maybe if we catch her, I can sell it on ebay and not lose too much $$.
Other than that, I spent five nights in L'ville with the Boy. We worked in the yard, moving pavers and sand and pebbles around to put the back patio together. Moving rocks is a good way to relax, I've found, even if it does lead to achy backs and legs. I think I like physical tired more than the emotional and intellectual exhaustion I'm used to feeling. I also took several hikes through the neighborhood and the neighborhood woods looking for kitty. Jeff came with me on the evening walks.
I was bad because I wrote nothing on my thesis, but I did send the review off on Monday morning (made a special 6-hr round trip back to Bton just for that), so that at least will serve as the bulk of my Introduction chapter. Clay keeps giving me his Look, but I think he thinks I have less written than I really do.
I still need to write more.
In the meantime, I'm slowly plodding through the last day's worth of data from my Big Flow Cell Experiment. The numbers are looking a little funny, so there may be a bit of hand waving involved in the data interpretation. . . . oh well. Can't have it all, and I'm just grateful that everything else went smoothly. *knocks on wood*
I built new flow cells today so they can cure overnight and I can start the whole dad-blamed process all over again, this time with 4 different buggies. By the time I've done all the washing and equilibrating and inoculating, it'll be next Thursday before I can start the microscopy. See? I told you it would take 5 weeks straight to do these two experiments. Let's please cross our collective fingers that thing continue to go smoothly.
I started 30 assays today, and if they go well, I'll run 45 tomorrow. I still don't have all the bugs I need to get complete sets, but something is better than nothing. I'll keep trying to make those stubborn bugs, but I'm not going to wait for them any longer.
F & N IP firm wrote to tell me they have my resume and will be notifying people in Sept/Oct. I must say, their timing couldn't be shittier. Jeff needs a job NOW and we need to know where the heck I'm going so he can find that needed job. So I guess that's 2 out of 3 law firms out. Maybe I'll try again after my postdoc. Still waiting to hear back from three PIs - I wrote to Wisconsin and Baltimore, and tried to call Harvard. No luck so far. Will keep trying.
Just had a sit-down with Elisha, our second-year student. She just got her comments back on her prelim exam proposal. She's doing very well, better than she thinks, actually. We went over the comments and I offered her several suggestions on how to address the committee's questions. It feels good to help someone out like that. I guess it's a time when I can renew my confidence in my own knowledge and I realize that I'm not bad at this at all.
Since the rest of our lab's Great Minds are gone at meetings or on vacation, I've also been asked to help one of our undergrads for the next few days. Susan's exceptionally bright and I'm glad to help her out. Again, I think it's just a reminder of how much I enjoy teaching on a small-scale, one-to-one level. Maybe I'll wind up teaching after all. So long as I'm teaching people who are eager and willing to work and learn, I'll be happy.
Now we're all up to speed, I'll get back to my data analysis and benchwork. I really am trying to make the most efficient use of time now, and wishing I was able to keep up this kind of pace all the time - like for the last five years. Maybe I wouldn't be pushing so hard now if I'd been more consistent. *shrug* Water under the bridge, now.
I hate to do it, but I think I'm going to go ahead and invest the $55 in a Havaheart trap. That's a lot of money that we don't have right now, but maybe if we catch her, I can sell it on ebay and not lose too much $$.
Other than that, I spent five nights in L'ville with the Boy. We worked in the yard, moving pavers and sand and pebbles around to put the back patio together. Moving rocks is a good way to relax, I've found, even if it does lead to achy backs and legs. I think I like physical tired more than the emotional and intellectual exhaustion I'm used to feeling. I also took several hikes through the neighborhood and the neighborhood woods looking for kitty. Jeff came with me on the evening walks.
I was bad because I wrote nothing on my thesis, but I did send the review off on Monday morning (made a special 6-hr round trip back to Bton just for that), so that at least will serve as the bulk of my Introduction chapter. Clay keeps giving me his Look, but I think he thinks I have less written than I really do.
I still need to write more.
In the meantime, I'm slowly plodding through the last day's worth of data from my Big Flow Cell Experiment. The numbers are looking a little funny, so there may be a bit of hand waving involved in the data interpretation. . . . oh well. Can't have it all, and I'm just grateful that everything else went smoothly. *knocks on wood*
I built new flow cells today so they can cure overnight and I can start the whole dad-blamed process all over again, this time with 4 different buggies. By the time I've done all the washing and equilibrating and inoculating, it'll be next Thursday before I can start the microscopy. See? I told you it would take 5 weeks straight to do these two experiments. Let's please cross our collective fingers that thing continue to go smoothly.
I started 30 assays today, and if they go well, I'll run 45 tomorrow. I still don't have all the bugs I need to get complete sets, but something is better than nothing. I'll keep trying to make those stubborn bugs, but I'm not going to wait for them any longer.
F & N IP firm wrote to tell me they have my resume and will be notifying people in Sept/Oct. I must say, their timing couldn't be shittier. Jeff needs a job NOW and we need to know where the heck I'm going so he can find that needed job. So I guess that's 2 out of 3 law firms out. Maybe I'll try again after my postdoc. Still waiting to hear back from three PIs - I wrote to Wisconsin and Baltimore, and tried to call Harvard. No luck so far. Will keep trying.
Just had a sit-down with Elisha, our second-year student. She just got her comments back on her prelim exam proposal. She's doing very well, better than she thinks, actually. We went over the comments and I offered her several suggestions on how to address the committee's questions. It feels good to help someone out like that. I guess it's a time when I can renew my confidence in my own knowledge and I realize that I'm not bad at this at all.
Since the rest of our lab's Great Minds are gone at meetings or on vacation, I've also been asked to help one of our undergrads for the next few days. Susan's exceptionally bright and I'm glad to help her out. Again, I think it's just a reminder of how much I enjoy teaching on a small-scale, one-to-one level. Maybe I'll wind up teaching after all. So long as I'm teaching people who are eager and willing to work and learn, I'll be happy.
Now we're all up to speed, I'll get back to my data analysis and benchwork. I really am trying to make the most efficient use of time now, and wishing I was able to keep up this kind of pace all the time - like for the last five years. Maybe I wouldn't be pushing so hard now if I'd been more consistent. *shrug* Water under the bridge, now.
